The Biological Approach (Approaches) Flashcards
The biological approach
combines psychology and biology to provide physiological explanations for human behaviour. Biological psychology tries to explain how we think feel and behave in terms of physical factors within the body
Assumptions of the biological approach
-everything psychological is at first biological
-biological structures and processes within the body impacts behaviour
-much of human behaviour has a physiological cause which may be genetically or environmentally altered
-psychologists should study the brain, nervous system and other biological systems including hormones.
-The mind lives is the brain: in contrast to the cognitive approach sees mental processes of the mind as being separate from the physical brain.
Monozygotic
One Zygote. This is when twins are formed when a fertilised cell splits in two and forms two separate embryos
Dizygotic
Two Zygotes. When twins are formed when two separate eggs both become fertilised by different sperm cells
Concordance rates
Concordance meaning ‘agreement between’. This refers to the extent to which a pair of twins share similar traits or characteristics.
Dizygotic twins will show lower concordance rates.
Family studies
1869- Francis Galton- “…all natural abilities are inherited”. This is a simplistic viewpoint- Galton later had to agree that any resemblance between family relatives could be a result if both genes and the environment.
However, with alcoholism for example, there is a suggestion of a biological predisposition to the addiction
Adoption studies
Involve comparing a trait or characteristic between adopted children and their biological or adoptive parents.
Genetic basis of behaviour
There is evidence from twin, family, and adoption studies suggest that certain behaviours, for example, intelligence, are genetically determined.
Research has shown that the environment can play more of a role in determining than genetics.
Selective breeding studies have demonstrated how a number of behavioural characteristics, for example aggression, can have a genetic basis
Genotype
The genes and the characteristics corresponding with them
Phenotype
The observable characteristics that depend on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors
Genes
The basic units of heredity. Function in pairs and the recombination of genes from parents to offspring provides the basis for genetic variability.
Recessive genes
Only show if the individual has two copies of the recessive gene
Dominant genes
Always shows, even if the individual has one copy of the gene
Heterozygous
The genotype consists of two different alleles, for example, Bb
Homozygous
The genotype consists of two alleles that are the same, for example, BB
Evolution
The changes in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations. Charles Darwin emphasised two main concepts in evolutionary theory: natural selection and sexual selection.
Natural selection
animals with particular traits that provide them with an advantage are more likely to survive and reproduce thereby passing on their ‘adaptive traits’ to their offspring. These behaviours need to adapt to the environment that the animal is living in which is dependent on the principles of diversity, interaction and differential amplification.
The principle of diversity
The variety within a species
The principle of interaction
How this variety of species adapt and fit in with the environment, e.g., animals that breathe air wouldn’t be able to permanently live underwater.
The Principle of differential amplification
Those who adapt to their environment will reproduce and those that do not will die out
Strengths of the biological approach
-has highly scientific methods such as fMRIs, EEGs and twin studies, meaning data is reliable
-scientific approach lends credence to psychology
-can lead to treatments and intervention to those suffering mentally
-understanding abnormality in the brain can shed light on normality in the brain
-scanning methods are objective and can be performed by machines with no vested interest in th eoutcome
Limitations of the biological approach
-deterministic, meaning that it claims there to be no free will
-dehumanises humans, stating that all behaviour can be explained using biological processes
-ignores the role of the environment
-research tends to focus on rare conditions
-complex machinery means measurements could be subject to human error
-correlations aren’t always cause and effect
-lab experiments lack ecological validity
Biological explanation for aggression
Bard and Mountcastle (1948) suggested that the hypothalamus and the amygdala are involved in aggression
Biological explanation for memory
Milner et al (1957) found that the Hippocampus has an important role to play in memory.
Biological explanation for psychopathology
Szeszko et al (1995) found differences in the prefrontal cortex when comparing people with and without schizophrenia, suggesting a relationship between them.
Neurochemistry’s influence on behaviour
Too much or too little oof a particular neurotransmitter (for example, dopamine linking to schizophrenia) can produce disorders.
Brain scans
PET scans: show activity in the brain during tasks
CAT scans: detect damaged parts of the brain
MRI scans: provide detailed information about the structure of the brain
Functional MRI scans: provide structural and function information
SQUID magnetometry: accurate images of brain activity by measuring magnetic fields generated when neurons are activated
